Crested Butte

Ride: Crested Butte

Crested Butte can claim to be the center of the mountain biking universe with the invention of what locals called the “Klunker” in the early 1970’s. At that time, the only real paved street in Crested Butte was Elk Avenue, with side streets full of pot holes. The “Klunker” bike was an older large bike with larger tires to enable the rider to navigate through the rough streets in town. The Klunker was a single speed bicycle with only fat tires, handlebars, pedals and a chain.

In 1976 the first Perl Pass ride was made from Crested Butte over Perl Pass to Aspen. This ride is 38 miles long, cresting the summit of Perl Pass at 12,705 feet in elevation. This annual celebration made it’s 40th ride in September 2016! The history of the Perl Pass tour can be found at the Marin Museum of Bicycling. Crested Butte can also claim the mountain bike the beginnings Festival: fat tire week, now called Crested Butte Bike Week.